Air intake device



L. E. MULLER 2,836,257

AIR INTAKE DEVICE Filed March 19, 1956 May 27, 1958 ,6, wi x '1 0 I 2/ f2" Q I ATTORNEY United States Patent AIR INTAKE DEVICE Lloyd E. Muller, Flint, Mich, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application March 19, 1956, Serial No. 572,534

8 Claims. (Cl. 18343) This invention relates to air intake devices for use with internal combustion engines for automotive and other purposes.

It has been customary heretofore to assemble the upper and lower separable parts of air cleaner, silencer and other intake devices, by employing a bridge across the outlet leading from one part and into which a wing bolt is secured that projects through the other part. A wing nut engages the threaded end of the bolt to secure the parts together. The structure then is secured to the carburetor inlet by other fastening or clamping means. Also, sometimes the bridge is formed in the carburetor or other inlet, thereby eliminating the additional fastening means. The bolt and wing nut employed, then secures the parts of the structure together and to the carburetor inlet. The bridges provided in these structures are located either in or near the inlet leading to the engine, where the velocity of the air is relatively high. This location of bridges results in a substantial and measurable power loss in the engine. Such bridge type fastening means, whether located in the carburetor or the cleaner or the cleaner silencer or other structure are somewhat expensive and difficult to operate and are unsatisfactory in other respects.

It is now proposed to construct an air intake device for an engine that will not cause such a substantial loss in horsepower, that will be inexpensive to construct, and that will lend itself more readily to the problems of service and assembly, than the devices now employed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of an intake device for an internal combustion engine and embracing the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross section view of the device taken substantially in the plane of line 2-2 on Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows thereon.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the bail and securing means part of the intake device disclosed by Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end view of the structure disclosed by Figure 3 and looking in the direction of arrows 4-4.

The intake device includes an air inlet 11 which may form a part of a carburetor or other means included within the induction system of an internal combustion engine for any purpose. The inlet 11 is formed to provide an inlet passage 12 through which the air may flow through the induction system employed. The velocity of the air in the passage 12 is usually somewhat high and it is therefore not desirable to provide unnecessary obstructions in or near the passage entrance. Such obstructions will reduce the horsepower of the engine below the horsepower of a similar engine not provided with such obstructions.

In order to supply clean air to the passage 12 and to attenuate sounds resulting from the operation of the engine and that may emanate from the passage 12 it is sometimes considered desirable to employ air supplying devices such as that indicated at 13. Such air supplying devices may be constructed to attenuate sound or to clean air or to perform other functions. The air supplying device 13 is constructed to provide an air outlet 14 forming an outlet passage 16 adapted to be connected to the passage 12 in the inlet 11. The outlet 14 is somewhat larger than the reduced end 17 of the inlet 11 so that the outlet 14 will telescope about and substantially fit the exterior surface of the reduced end 17. Beyond the reduced end 17 the outlet 11 is formed to provide an outwardly projecting flange or shoulder means 18 against which the end of the outlet 14 may be disposed. A gasket 19 forming a part of the outlet 14 may be positioned against the shoulder means 18 to provide resilient support for the device 13 and for sealing the outlet 14 against the inlet 11. The air supplying device 13 may be formed to provide a lower casing 29 and an upper casing 21, with the two casings being separable so that the interior of the device 13 may be accessible for service and assembly purposes. An annular cleaner element indicated at 22 may be disposed on a support formed in the casing 20 and may be secured in position therein by securing the casing 21 with respect to the casing 20. Air from the atmosphere may flow through the filter element 22 into a collecting chamber 23 formed in the upper part of the device 13 and between the casing 21 and the filter element 22. The collecting chamber 23 at the central part thereof merges with an outlet chamber 24 formed within the filter element 22, communicating with and forming a part of the outlet 14. It is considered desirable to construct the outlet chamber 24 so that it will be somewhat larger in cross section than the cross section of the outlet passage 16.

In order to secure the air intake device 10 to the inlet 11 and to secure the parts of the air supplying device together it is proposed to employ a bail device or fastening means indicated at 26. in the present instance the device or means 26 is constructed by employing a wire bail 27 having a loop or eye 28 at the middle thereof and in which a shoulder bolt 29 may be rigidly secured. As is shown by Figures 3 and 4 it is considered preferable to make the loop 28 in elliptical form with the major axis of the ellipse substantially in the plane of the bail 27. It is then proposed to provide an enlarged elliptically formed shoulder or shank 31 on the bolt 29 adjacent the head 32 thereof and about which the loop 28 is adapted to fit tightly enough so that there will be no relative rotation between the bail 27 and the bolt 29. The opposite edges of the shank 31 remote from the head 32 are adapted to be staked or upset at 33 to prevent the loop 28 from becoming disengaged from the shank 31. The ends 34 of the ball 27 are formed to spread away from the middle of the bail containing the loop 28 and to engage and follow along the interior surface of the outlet 14 when the ends 34 are compressed within the outlet 14. The ends 34 terminate approximately within the outlet 14 in inwardly bent and aligned stirrups or abutments indicated at 36. These are adapted to be inserted in aligned opening 37 or shoulder means formed in opposite sides of the reduced end 17 of the inlet 11. The side Walls of the reduced end 17 may be thickened and flattened as is indicated at 38 to provide the width of shoulder means that may be desirable in the opening 37. Leading to the openings 37 on the exterior surface of the reduced end 17 are parallel grooves indicated at 39 for receiving the parts of the ends 34 that lead to the abutments 36.

The wing bolt 29 is adapted to project through an opening formed in the upper Wall 21 of the device 13. A wing nut 41 may be disposed on the threaded end of the bolt 29 for tightening the ball 26 to hold the upper and lower parts 21 and 20 together and to hold the device 13 securely upon the reduced end 17 and against the shoulder means 18.

When installing the device 13 it is proposed to spread" the bail 27 over' the reducedend'17 of the inlet l'lruntil the abutment ends 36 are projected into the openings ,37. Thereafter the ends 34 will contract or may becontracted' to project the abutments 3'6' intothe openings 37 and the ends 34' into the parallel grooves 39; The

device 13 then may be held in assembled relation and the outlet l t-projected over, the bail device .26 and, the

'reduced end 17' untillthe lower 'end. of'the outlet 14 engages the outwardly disposedfiange or shoulder means '18; At this time the bolt 29 also may be projected throughthe opening inthe'wall 21. Thereafter the air supplying device 13may be secured rigidly in assembled relation to the inlet 11 and the; parts of the device may be secured rigidly together, by'tightening the wing nut 41 on the bolt 29. Tightening off the wing nut will causetth'e abutment means 36 to tighten against the shoulder means formed by the openings 37 and to tighten the lower end of the outlet 14 against the shoulder means 18. The device 13 may be taken off-and serviced 'by reversing the assembling process previously described. 7

v Iclaim: V v

' 1. An air intake for an internal combustion engine having an induction system for supplying air to 'said engine and comprising, an air inlet formed on said induction system, a separable device associated with said induction'system for supplyingair'to said inlet, said air inlet being adapted to be received telescopically within said device, an'outlet formed on said device for so receiving' said inlet, said device being formed to provide a ,bail disposed: in said outlet and having ends disposed between said inlet and said outlet, said ends being formed to provide abutment means adapted to engage shoulder means on said inletto prevent the removal of'said bail 'frornbetweentsaid inlet and said outlet when said outlet is projected over said inlet, said device being provided withlmeans accessible "from the exterior of said device 'for'removably, securing said bail to said device and said device to said inlet, and shoulder means formed onsaid inlet and engaging said abutment means and being engaged by said outlet when said securing means is operated tosecure saidtdevice to said inlet, said ends of said bail being'engaged by and clamped between said inlet and saidoutlet to prevent said ends from disengaging said shoulder means when said'device'is operatively disposedon said inlet.

2 An air intake as defined by claim 1 and in which said shoulder means formed on said inlet comprises a pair of'oppositely disposed openings formed inwardly of the exterior surface of said inlet and in positionsto, be

enclosed within said outlet when said device is opera tively positioned on said inlet, said openings beingadapted to receive said abutment'means on said ends, and in which said intake is formed to provide a pair of parallel grooves leading to said openings and adapted to receive said ends. 7

3.'An'air intake as defined by claim ,1 and in which said shoulder'means formed on said inlet comprises an outwardly projecting flange disposed in position to be new engaged by said outlet when said device operatively positioned on saidinlet. i V

4. Anair intake for an internal combustion engine having an induction system including an air inlet for supplying air to said engine and comprising, a device; adapted to be removably associated with said induction system for supplying said air to said inlet, said device being formed to'provide an outlet adapted to extendv telescopically over said inlet and to slidably engage said inlet, said device also being formed to provide abajl disposed said outlet and having endsadapted torprojectbetweenesaid inlet and said outlet, said ends being formed to provide abutment means, shoulder means on said inlet for engagement by said abutment means for preventing removal of said bail from between said inlet and outlet when said outlet is projected over said inlet, said device being formed to provide means accessible from the exterior of said, device for removably securing said bail to said device and said device to said air inlet, said outlet being adapted to engage said shoulder means on said inlet when said device is operatively' positioned, on said inlet.

5. An air intake as defined by claim 4 and in which said abutment means is formed by said ends, said ends being formed to project inwardly in aligned] relation and within aligned openings in said inlet forming said shoulder means of said inlet. V

6. An air intake as defined by claim 4 and in which V the middle of said bail is 'formed' to provide a loop],

through'whichsaid securing means is adapted to project and in which said securing means is secured againstrota tion ' "7. An air intake as defined by claim 4' and in which the'middle of said bail is fanned to provide an elongated loop through which said securingl mean's is adaptedlto' project, said securing means being formed to provide a g 7 outlet chamber so that said airfrom said; filter means flows across the middle of said bail and into the space between said ends of said bail and into saidinlet, thereby providing a reduced resistanceto the. flow of air fi 'orn said filter means to said inlet.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kamroth Dec. 15; 1942 Sebok Nov. 13, 1951 

